


Comfort and Promises

by wonderlandiscrumbling



Category: Batman: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: Bruce loves John, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 08:42:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14445585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandiscrumbling/pseuds/wonderlandiscrumbling
Summary: Bruce hates the way that Harley treats John, but he knows he risk losing his friend if he tells John what he really thinks of her. So he does his best to be a constant form of support for John.





	Comfort and Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Been dying to finally write Batjokes.

It took a lot for Bruce to keep himself in check whenever Harley was around. The woman’s insistence on touching him and flirting with him in front of John, her constant cruel insults towards a man who was so obviously head over heels in love with her, and the fact Bruce knew it would take close to nothing for her to throw all of them under the bus, John included. He so badly wanted to get John to understand that she didn’t care about him, sometimes he felt he understood, but mostly he seemed oblivious. It hurt him to realize his friend seemed to almost feel he deserved the mistreatment bestowed upon him by the clown queen, as if he didn’t deserve kindness. 

After a truly vicious round of Harley’s berating, Bruce had felt himself raging. Watching as she grabbed John shoving him up against the wall, screaming at him, and threatening him all while the man apologized and promised not to anger her again. Bruce had attempted to step in, to defuse the situation only to have John smile and tell him everything was okay, that she had all right to be mad at him over his mistakes. His smile had been forced, but Bruce had backed off. He’d gone to another room waiting for the one-sided fight to run its course. Once Harley had the rage out of her system she’d stormed out of the apartment, John sulked off to the spare bedroom shutting himself away. 

Bruce stalled in the kitchen contemplating following him, checking on him. He realized as of late he didn’t get a lot of alone time with John, he found he missed the times they used to share alone. He had enjoyed those moments with John, more than he should have perhaps. That was another thing that Harley’s presence brought to surface, feelings that Bruce found himself cautious to allow himself to feel. The day in the alley when he thought that John was going to confess he loved him, he’d been so nervous yet excited at the prospect, a sense of heartbreak upon hearing about Harley. He almost hated himself for catching feelings for the former Arkham patient, a man who could go from as harmless as a puppy to as vicious as a hyena, a man even Alfred dared to warn him about, but he couldn’t stop this feeling. 

Perhaps in a way he liked to think that John was somebody he could save. He couldn’t help Oswald and he couldn’t save Harvey, but maybe he could save John. He could guide him away from Harley, perhaps even ask him to move into Wayne manor with him. 

“What are you even thinking, Bruce?” He muttered to himself rubbing at his temple.

As far as he knew John didn’t love him, but with John it was horrifically hard to pinpoint his emotions. One moment it felt they were nothing more than friends while a moment later he could feel the intensity in his vibrant green eyes.

He looked towards the wall clock, if he was going to check on John then he knew now was a good time. He worried about his emotional state if he left him to brood alone in his room for too long, he knew how badly Harley’s comments could get to him.

Despite possible better judgement, he entered the room without knocking, quietly closing the door behind him. John was sitting on the edge of the bed, face buried in his hands, shoulders hunched. Bruce could hear the soft whimpers and sobs, the state of him made his heart break.

“John?” He asked, voice gentle as he carefully stepped towards him.

His friend jumped at the sound of his voice, he quickly rubbed at his puffy red rimmed eyes as if trying to hide all evidence of his crying. He forced a grin as he looked up at Bruce.

“Sorry Bruce, I-I didn’t know you were standing there.”

“I just wanted to check on you, are you okay?”

“Of course, I am, I know I shouldn’t be crying, Harley says it makes me weak.” He said shaking his head.

Bruce seated himself next to him on the bed, cautiously he placed a hand against the middle of his back gently rubbing. John looked over at him smiling softly, a moment later leaning in against his side, head resting on his shoulder.

“Crying doesn’t make you weak, it’s a normal reaction to being hurt.”

John lifted his head to look at him, “But Harley knows all about psychology, she says if I laugh these things off I’ll be stronger.”

“She….She doesn’t know what’s best for you John and it’s not okay the way that she treats you.”

He knew when it came to Harley that he was walking a fine line, the last thing he wanted to do was push him away, to push him closer to her. 

John continued to stare at him, Bruce could almost see the struggle in his mind to grasp his words versus the things Harley had been telling him for days now.

“You sure? I mean…. Sometimes she can be really nice, she’s under a lot of stress with this job and all….” He trailed off looking down towards the floor for a moment. Bruce watched as he fidgeted nervously with his fingers, he reached out taking hold of his right hand. John smiled looking down at their hands. “She’s not exactly you though…. You’re always so nice to me Bruce.”

“John….You’re my friend, if you need to talk to me about anything then I’m here. I care about you.”

He felt the itching urge to tell him he was in love with him, words that felt so right until he realized it could go horribly wrong. What if John became who Harley was trying to force him into becoming, what if he became just another person on the list of people he couldn’t save, somebody he may have to fight someday. He wasn’t sure he could handle that, he couldn’t even fake being able to handle that.

“Do you mean that?”

Bruce smiled, he placed a hand against his cheek, thumb brushing stray tears from his eerily pale cheek. “Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

John curled his fingers in the front of his shirt pulling him closer, a moment later his lips were pressed to his in a kiss. Bruce froze initially, taken off guard by the sudden kiss. When John started to pull away he found himself placing a hand against the back of his neck pulling him in again, kissing him lovingly. John’s fingers curled against his chest keeping him close, Bruce could hear his heart pounding in his ears. There was a sweet taste to his lips, there was something familiar and perfect feeling him so close. 

He knew no matter what he wanted to protect him above all else.


End file.
